I've always been overweight, but health issues and stress of life keep pushing that scale up to morbid obesity. Autoimmune thyroid condition and depression both contributed to my spiral out of control healthwise. I smoked, rarely got any exercise, and drank too much. While I always tried to eat a balanced diet at home, I gave in to fast food and junk way too often. The beginning of 2011 was the beginning of my catharsis that I needed and WANTed to change the path I was on. I quit smoking January 2011, then started really having problems with my health. I know, ironic - quit smoking THEN go downhill. I could barely move, ached for days after any physical exertion, and was completely exhausted. After little help from my regular doctor, I searched for a holistic nutritionist/doctor. I went in for labs in July 2011 and discovered low vitamin D, low B12, almost non-existant progesterone, and gluten intolerance. She switched me to natural thyroid replacement, bioidentical progesterone therapy, and lots of supplements. Within a few weeks, I was sleeping better, had more energy, and my mood improved immensely. I was finally on the right path.

Losing my 44-year old sister to type 1 diabetes and kidney failure December 2, 2011, was my new-found motivation to take charge of my health. She had been sick for 30 years, but we still weren't prepared to say goodbye. I'm determined to get OFF the path towards type 2 diabetes now and learn to better control my autoimmune conditions.

Professionally, I'm a technical writer for a large company. I'm almost 40, married to my high school sweetheart for 17 years, and live north of the Dallas/Fort Worth area in Texas. We have two amazing daughters, age 17 and 11, 2 dogs and 2 cats.

Thyroid
I've had hypothyroidism for 16 years. Yes, it's much harder to lose with thyroid problems, even if you're on meds. Atkins is a good plan for us, but it will always be slower because our metabolism is so messed up. Exercise is a MUST with thyroid issues. Just hang in there and keep on the plan.

posted 14 Jan 2012, 12:48

Lunch out today
There may be milk in some recipes and packaged foods - the important thing with dressings, etc is the carb count. I've seen Ranch dressing with 1 gram of carbs per 2 TBSP serving, and I've seen Ranch with up to 8 grams of carbs! Read labels and measure your servings.

posted 12 Jan 2012, 09:48

Starting Atkins in January!
Another tip - plan ahead. I make out a weekly dinner menu and shopping list, plus buy several standards for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks - eggs for boiling, cans of tuna, cheese strings, raw celery, cucumber, pork rinds, etc. The first few days prepare a couple extra snacks just in case you feel munchy. After a few days, you'll notice you stay full a long time and won't eat as much naturally.